Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Khorezm fell to the all-conquering
Seljuq Turks, but rose in the 12th century,
under a Seljuq dynasty known as the Kho-
rezmshahs, to shape its own far-reaching
empire. With its mosques, medressas, li-
braries and flourishing bazaars, Gurganj
(the Persian name for Konye-Urgench) be-
came a centre of the Muslim world, until
Khorezmshah Mohammed II moved his
capital to Samarkand after capturing that
city in 1210.
Chinggis Khan arrived in 1221, seeking
revenge for the murder of his envoys in
Otrar as ordered by Mohammed II. Old Ur-
gench withstood the siege for six months,
and even after the Mongols broke through
the city walls the residents fought them
in the streets. The Mongols, unused to
cities, burnt the houses but the residents
still fought from the ruins. In the end, the
Mongols diverted the waters of the Amu-
Darya and flooded the city, drowning its
defenders.
The Mongol generals went in pursuit
of Mohammed II who eluded them for
months until he finally died of exhaustion
in 1221 on an island in the Caspian Sea.
The tombs of his father, Tekesh, and grand-
father, Il-Arslan, survive and are two of Old
Urgench's monuments.
In the following period of peace, Kho-
rezm was ruled as part of the Golden
Horde, the huge, wealthy, westernmost of
the khanates into which Chinggis Khan's
empire was divided after his death. Re-
built, Urgench was again Khorezm's capi-
tal, and grew into what was probably one
of Central Asia's most important trading
cities - big, beautiful, crowded and with a
new generation of monumental buildings.
Then came Timur. Considering Kho-
rezm to be a rival to Samarkand, he com-
prehensively finished off Old Urgench in
1388. The city was partly rebuilt in the 16th
century, but it was abandoned when the
Amu-Darya changed its course. (Modern
Konye-Urgench dates from the construc-
tion of a new canal in the 19th century.)
Today, most of Old Urgench lies under-
ground, but there is enough urban tissue
to get an idea of its former glories. Its
uniqueness was acknowledged in 2005
when Unesco named it a World Heritage
Site. The modern town is somewhat short
on tourist facilities and most travellers
overnight in Dashogus.
1
¨Sights
The ancient city's monuments are dot-
ted like a constellation across a large
site
(admission 11.40M, camera 5.70M;
h
8am-6pm)
straddling the Ashgabat road, 1km south
of the main town. One ticket covers all the
sights.
Konye-Urgench¨
Museum¨
MUSEUM
(admission 11.40M;
h
9am-4pm)
The simple
Konye-Urgench Museum is housed in the
early-20th-century Dash Medressa, just be-
fore the main mausoleum complex. It in-
cludes some ancient Arabic texts and a few
interestingly labelled artefacts from Old
Urgench (eg 'blue polished eight-cornered
thing'). Note the Christian symbols carved
onto some of the stone pieces. Off the me-
dressa courtyard are several rooms con-
taining ethnographic displays of Turkmen
culture, including a pottery workshop and
carpet looms. To one side of the mosque is
the
Matkerim-Ishan¨Mausoleum
, which
is also early 20th century.
Nejameddin¨Kubra¨
Mausoleum¨
MAUSOLEUM
The path past the Matkerim-Ishan Mau-
soleum leads to the Nejameddin Kubra
Mausoleum on the left, and the
Sultan¨Ali¨
Mausoleum
facing it across a shady little
courtyard. Nejameddin Kubra (1145-1221)
was a famous Khorezm Muslim teacher
and poet who founded the Sufic Kubra or-
der, with followers throughout the Islamic
world. His tomb is believed to have heal-
ing properties and you may find pilgrims
praying here. The building has three
domes and a tiled portal that appears on
the brink of forward collapse. The tombs
inside - one for his body and one for his
head (which were kindly separated by the
Mongols) are extraordinarily colourful
with floral-pattern tiles.
Turabeg¨Khanym¨
Complex¨
HiSTORiC BUiLDiNG
Turabeg Khanym Complex, opposite the
ticket office, is still the subject of some
debate. Locals and some scholars consider
this a mausoleum, though no-one is too
sure who is buried here. Some archaeolo-
gists contend that it was a throne room
built in the 12th century (it appears to have
a heating system, which would not have
been used in a mausoleum). Whatever its
